The Allman Brothers Band will say farewell at the end of the month with a six-night residency at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, and bandleader Gregg Allman recently announced there will not be any special guest performers at the shows.
In an interview with Relix, Allman disclosed how the band arrived at the conclusion to not invite any of their many admirers onstage for one final goodbye.
"We held a meeting yesterday and we decided that there's only six gigs left, and we're going to play them ourselves," he said. "There will be no one sitting in."
The Allman Bros. have been making stops at the Beacon since 1989, and they often play sold-out residencies at the venue with special guests. The only performer to get an invite, Allman said, was former guitarist Dickey Betts, who left the band in 2000.
"Dickey is in the middle of a hunting trip. Of course we reached out," Allman said.
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Betts's manager wrote on Facebook that the guitarist never received an invitation to play at the Beacon.
"This is a load of crap!" he wrote. "Dickey was never asked to be a part of the final shows. A complete lie!"
Allman went on to reflect on his previous gigs at the infamous theater.
"I've really enjoyed these years at the Beacon," he said. "I fully intend to come back here every year, if I can get in, with my [solo] band to play."
News of the band's retirement surfaced in January shortly after guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks said they would be leaving the group at the end of 2014 to focus on their other projects: Gov't Mule and Tedeschi Trucks Band.
The band's six-night residency starts tonight, Oct. 21, and after 45 years of rambling, Allman and company will take their last bow Oct. 28.
